Peter Okoye never graduated, dropped out at 100 level -Lawyer tells court

There was mild drama in court today in the ongoing fraud trial involving Nigerian music star Peter Okoye of P-Square and the group’s former manager Jude Okoye as defence counsel, Clement Onwuenwunor, SAN, revealed that Peter dropped out of the University of Abuja at 100 level, but deliberately misled the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, with false and contradictory claims that he was a graduate.

 

In a heated cross-examination at the Ikoyi Federal High Court, Onwuenwunor told the presiding judge, Justice Alexander Owoeye that Peter’s statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is riddled with lies and fabrications aimed at deceiving investigators.

 

Onwuenwunor told the court that “Mr. P, page A5 of your statements to the EFCC are false. In paragraph one, you claimed to be a graduate of the University of Abuja, but you dropped out at 100 level.

 

In his response, Peter said “I went to UNIABUJA, but that’s not why I’m here. I dropped out at 300 level and took a transcript to UST (University of Science and Technology), Port Harcourt.”

 

When Onwuenwunor asked him if he has evidence to prove that he graduated from the UST, Peter said ‘no’.

 

Peter, who was visibly angry, had to be cautioned by Justice Owoeye and his lawyer, Barrister M.K Bashir twice when he went out of line being rude to the defence counsel.

Peter earlier testified that Jude’s wife, Ifeoma Okoye owns 80% of Northside Music Limited and Jude 20%, but under cross-examination, the defence counsel presented the CAC certificate of the company, which was shown to Peter to confirm that he lied in his earlier testament. He was made to acknowledge that the CAC shares is 80% for Jude Okoye and 20% for his wife.

The defence counsel, while proving to the court that indeed Peter is a signatory to Northside Entertainment Ltd’s accounts, contrary to his earlier testament that Jude was the sole signatory to the accounts and that he doesn’t have access to the accounts. Onwuenwunor presented signed mandate, showing that Jude is a category A signatory, while Peter and Paul are category B signatories, which simply shows that Peter actually has access to Northside Entertainment accounts as category B signatory with Paul.

 

He also presented bank statements revealing details of payments made to P-Square by Mad Solutions Limited, the company handling the group’s music catalogue. In his statement to the EFCC, Peter claimed he was never aware nor received any proceeds of Lex Records royalty payments made to Northside Entertainment. But according to the Ecobank statement presented by Onwuenwunor, which Justice Owoeye admitted as Exhibit P3, he pointed out that Lex Records has been paying royalties to Northside Entertainment account since 2012 to 2017, which proceeds Peter also shared from the onset.

 

Justice Owoeye adjourned the case till 23 October and 10 November 2025 for continuation of the cross-examination

and trial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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